Woodlands County asks Barrhead to reconsider implications of Champion Feeds sale

Woodlands County mayor Jim Rennie and Fort Assiniboine Coun. Dale Kluin both want the town and the county of Barrhead to join them in having a conversation with Hi-Pro Feeds CEO Dean Prevost, to discuss the ramifications of Hi-Pro’s decision to close Champion Feeds in Barrhead, a situation Kluin said he was concerned was not being taken seriously enough.

“When I read in the Barrhead Leader that Champion Feeds was closing and Hi-Pro was taking over, I was a little frustrated over the comments made by mayor Gerry St. Pierre and reeve Bill Lee,” Kluin said, adding to him it sounded like the administration did not think the situation was a big deal.

Kluin said within hours of receiving his copy of the newspaper, his phone began ringing off the hook.

“My ratepayers are wondering what they are going to do now,” he said. “All of our ag producers that have cattle or horses or chickens or whatever, they’ve all been using the Barrhead facility ever since it opened and now with this sale, it is going to cost them even more money to run their businesses. When they come into Barrhead, they spend their money here. If you don’t think that isn’t going to affect some of your own ratepayers or businesses, you’d better think again.”

Kluin said he thought it would be best if the town and the county worked together with Woodlands County, to draft a letter and/or to arrange a sit-down type meeting with Prevost.

Rennie shared Kluin’s opinion, adding it is important to explore every option and then defended St. Pierre by saying the sale of Champion Feeds was not something that anyone had any input in.

“It was more of a situation, from what I understand, that they [the town] were just told it was going to happen,” Rennie said, adding he did not think there was any opportunity for the mayor, the reeve, or anyone from either council to ask Hi-Pro questions about the proceedings.

Another option he would like to see explored, Rennie said, was whether or not the Barrhead plant could be used for another purpose, adding in conversations with St. Pierre, the mayor of Barrhead intimated that while no options are currently tabled, the town council is not against the idea.

“The more people we can get involved with this conversation, the better,” Kluin said, adding regardless of whether Hi-Pro thought it was prudent to close the plant, in his opinion the decision made no sense.

“I’ve talked to staff there and I’ve heard they are doing a great deal of business out of the front, but have no interest in the retail side of things. Bottom line is they want to run a mill and they are. I think they should convince us that the retail part of the business is not making any money.”

Every time he has gone to the Back Forty store, Kluin said, the building was filled with people making purchases.

“The only way we can stop this, maybe, is by making that presentation to Prevost,” he added.

For his part, Prevost said he would be more than happy to talk to anyone who has concerns and can be reached by telephone at 403-938-8362.

Council voted unanimously in favour of a motion by council to send Lee to meet with Prevost, at an unspecified date.